How do I analyse the structure of a poem?

Students are often able to recognise important structural devices used by the poet, yet find it difficult to analyse them. What is important to consider is why the poet has decided to structure their poem in a certain way – the poet must have chosen it for a reason and therefore this is what students must understand. To analyse the structure of a poem, students should look for what the poet is implying and what their message is to the reader. Analysing the structure of the poem ‘When We Two Parted’ by Lord Byron, is extremely interesting and would be good practice for students. The metre of the poem is called accentual verse, which Byron continues throughout the poem with two exceptions and to analyse the structure, the student should contemplate why Byron would break the metre. The accentual verse is broken in "Pale grew thy cheek and cold," and "Truly that hour foretold". Byron deliberately did not adhere to the accentual verse rules in these two lines to bring emphasis to them. In "Pale grew thy cheek and cold", the speaker feels rejected and as a result, the breaking of the metre mirrors the final breaking of the relationship and the ‘breaking’ of their heart. Furthermore, the poem follows the ABABCDCD rhyme scheme, giving the poem a lyrical quality. The lyrical nature of the poem contrasts with the cold, distant and uncertain feelings expressed through Bryon’s lexical choices. Therefore, Byron must have specifically used this rhyming scheme to create a disjointed atmosphere between the rhyme and the content of the poem, mirroring the separation of the two lovers.